


Just Breath It In

by TigStripe



Category: Arrow (TV 2012), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, One Shot, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:07:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25623379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TigStripe/pseuds/TigStripe
Summary: Oliver takes Barry out of town for the weekend, and Barry takes Oliver out of his comfort zone.
Relationships: Barry Allen/Oliver Queen
Comments: 6
Kudos: 45





	Just Breath It In

The afternoon sun filtered down through the canopy of leaves overhead, casting shadows that danced across the shrubs and saplings growing throughout the woods and making the wood themselves sparkle. In the summer’s heat, the shade was appreciated, but every now and then sunlight would hit the cheeks and warm the soul. The ground was covered in mosses, fallen branches, and various underbrush, most of which crunched underfoot from the recent lack of rainfall. It was an exhilarating sound and the vibrations that pulsed up from the ground were enough to make anyone smile.

Barry shifted the bag on his back with one hand while holding Oliver’s hand with the other as he observed the beauty around him. They’d parked almost a mile back, on the main trail leading to a nearby highway. Civilization was almost an hour away. All they could hear were the sounds of birds and woodland critters, wind in the leaves, and the crunching of twigs underfoot. Nothing else proved important enough to make a sound.

They traveled slowly, making sure to make their little hike an adventure. Oliver led the way, lightly pulling Barry by the hand. Their destination was nearby, but they were in no rush to reach it. Barry enjoyed the simplicity of simply walking through the woods. It was not an experience he had often, living in a metropolis like Central City. Even the air tasted different. The light scent of grasses and bark heightened his shoulders and expanded his chest with every breath. It was as if nature was breathing life back into a weary traveler.

Before long, Oliver stopped his advance, allowing Barry to sidle up next to him. In front of them was a sturdy-looking log cabin, complete with shingled roof, paneled windows, and covered porch. It was dark inside, but the sun dancing across its roof and walls seemed to give it a bit of life.

Barry could barely believe his eyes. “Ollie, it’s  _ beautiful.” _

Oliver said nothing, but he smiled. He guided Barry to the front door and unlocked it. The two made their way inside. The floor was composed of hardwood panels, with simple wool rugs covering parts of the den and hallway. A small couch and armchair sat surrounding a stone-inlaid fireplace with a great view out the nearby window. A mounted deer head hung over the mantle. The corners of the room were hidden in shadows and the place reeked of moth balls, but there was a rustic charm that Barry could appreciate.

“What is this place?” Barry asked.

“Dad’s favorite cabin,” Oliver replied as he set his own backpack down on the couch. “We’d come out here once or twice a year and go hunting. We stopped using it shortly after Thea was born, but Dad always made sure it was kept up. I don’t think anyone’s been here since the  _ Gambit _ went down.”

Barry swiped a finger across the glass of a kerosene lamp sitting on an end table next to the couch. “That explains the dust. It’s been a decade.”

Oliver lit a couple of lamps, casting an eerie yellow glow on the den. He grinned over at Barry and gestured widely to the room. “So? What do you think?”

That grin was infectious, and Barry found himself smiling back. “The cabin’s great. Very peaceful. But what made you bring me out here?”

Oliver gave a little shrug. “You’re from Missouri. I thought you people liked outdoorsy stuff.”

The response was a warm chuckle. “I don’t get out of the city much.”

Oliver stepped forward and was suddenly very, very close to his guest. He gave him a quick kiss. “Then let’s make sure you remember what it’s like.”

There was a hum of appreciation. “I like the sound of that.” Oliver took him by the hand and led him down the hall, toward the bedrooms. Their memory making began  _ now. _

An hour later, the crystal clear water of a small lake lapped at Barry’s ankles as he surveyed the sparkling surface as it reflected the late afternoon sun. It was cool and refreshing, the complete opposite of the rest of the summer day. Oliver had invited him down to the lake for a swim, and they each had already changed into their trunks, shucking their shirts and exposing themselves to the warmth of the sun. The wind pitched higher on the shore, away from the trees, and his bare shoulders felt almost chilled. He would have complained if Oliver hadn’t decided right then to wrap his arms around him from behind and nuzzle into his neck. This sent warm tingles up and down Barry’s whole body. 

Barry put a hand on Oliver’s arm and leaned his head back, content. They stood like that in a pleasant silence for several seconds before Barry kicked up some water at Oliver’s legs, evoking a cry of surprise. In response, Oliver shoved Barry forward, nearly knocking him down into the lake, then charged after him. With a great “Oof!” the two of them fell into the comparatively frigid waters, shouts of shock and delight lifting up from the water’s surface. 

They wrestled their way into the shallows, finally moving to depths in which they could actually swim. Oliver proved much better at this, as would be expected of someone raised on the coast, but Barry found the Speed Force to be a best friend at bridging the gap. Turns out if you flail fast enough, you displace enough water to be considered “swimming.”

After their aquatic jaunt, Oliver set about making dinner back at the cabin, making a fire pit and roasting some meats over the fire while Barry threw together salad and other sides back in the kitchen. Dinner was excellent, and just enough to get Barry by. Oliver, on the other hand, had to say no to thirds, preferring to watch his boyfriend chomp away in the dimming evening lights.

As night set in, the two of them lay on their backs on the shore of the lake, arms behind their heads, gazing up into the clear night sky. Stars and the occasional drifting cloud welcomed their attention, twinkling brightly away from all the city lights. Happy to be alone together, Oliver pointed out nautical constellations his dad taught him, while Barry observed wavelength shifts to pick out planets among the stars. Somewhere along the way, Oliver rolled over and blocked Barry’s view of the sky to give him a long, lingering kiss. Some fumbling in their clothes occurred, and soon they embraced the beauty of nature more intimately, becoming one with the night and each other. They retired to the cabin soon after, resting for the remainder of their adventure in the morning.

When Oliver awoke the next morning, he was surprised to see Barry had managed to beat him to being productive. The speedster had collected everything necessary for their day and was cooking up eggs over the gas stove for breakfast by the time Oliver made it out of the bedroom. 

Oliver slid up behind him and wrapped his arms around Barry’s still-naked torso. “Be careful or that oil will splash all over you,” he said, his mouth dangerously close to Barry’s ear.

Goosebumps rose all along Barry’s arms and neck from the sound of Oliver’s voice and the touch of his skin, but he just smiled. “Good morning to you, too.”

Oliver nuzzled into his neck. “You’re up early.”

“I had an idea, so I got up a little early. What kind of stuff did you and your dad do when you went out boating?”

“Hmm. There was usually some kind of business thing involved. When I was younger, I had to stay below deck. Then, later, I brought people with me and  _ entertained _ them. Why do you ask?”

“So you never went fishing together?”

“No, I guess not.” Oliver considered this. “Actually, I don’t think I’ve ever been on a fishing trip.”

“Growing up in Missouri puts you around fishing holes a lot,” Barry said as he flipped the eggs in the skillet. “I was thinking we’d do that. Maybe I could teach you how.”

Oliver chuckled. “Barry, I lived on and off an almost-deserted island for upwards of five years. I know how to fish.”

“Right.  _ To survive. _ But do you know how to fish  _ to relax?” _

Instead of answering him, Oliver pulled him closer. He didn’t talk much about Lian Yu, or how he survived there from day to day, but Barry was pretty sure he’d hit the nail on the head with this one. Sure, Oliver might be able to spear a fish, spurred on by hunger, but how is he at  _ not touching a fishing pole? _

Shortly after breakfast, the two made their way down to a different, more crowded shoreline of the lake, making sure they picked a spot with lots of roots for fish to hide in. Barry showed him how to cast a line, which Oliver mastered in only a dozen or so tries. Then, after a “perfect cast,” Barry had to snatch the pole away from him before he started reeling in.

“Hey!”

“Hands off.” Barry put the pole in a makeshift crutch near their spot. He sat down and leaned up against a nearby tree, patting the ground next to him for Oliver to join him.

“But what if-”

“Shh.” More pats.

Oliver looked at the unattended fishing line with a mixture of confusion and concern before setting himself down next to Barry.

“Gotta let it do its thing,” Barry told him. “And in the meantime, we take in nature.”

Oliver chuckled, finally taking his eyes off the fishing line to look at Barry with a mischievous smile. “You mean like last night?”

“We’d miss the snag,” Barry replied, pointing out to the bobber in the water.

Oliver leaned his head back against the tree behind them and closed his eyes. He saw the light of the sun dancing through the leaves from behind his eyelids and took in the soft, cool dirt beneath him. A breeze tickled his nose and brought with it the scent of wild lavender from a nearby field. He heard the  _ bloop _ of fish biting at flies on the water’s surface, as well as Barry’s quiet, slow breaths. Not for the first time since they’d arrived, he felt relaxed.

Barry’s ability to let things go and take a moment for himself was inspirational to Oliver, who admittedly had a bit of a control problem. It took a lot for him to relinquish control of his situation. He hadn’t considered the side effect of being able to relax like this when he decided to bring Barry out to the cabin, but he was glad it was happening. Even as trained and paranoid as he was, he felt his heartbeat slowing to a comfortable level. Stress left his shoulders. He smiled, his eyes still closed.

He wasn’t sure if he had dozed off, but Oliver was jostled to attention as Barry leapt up from their spot against the tree with a victorious holler. In the blink of an eye (and without Flash powers!), Barry had snatched up the fishing line. With a deft flick of his wrist, he launched a small fish out of the water and through the air, revealing what looked like a small bass hooked on the line.

“Nice job, Barry!” Oliver was on his feet in an instant, pumping his fists in victory.

Barry reeled in the bass and held it up for Oliver to take a photo before unhooking the fish and launching it back into the lake.

“Oh, are we not keeping them?” Oliver asked. After Lian Yu, it felt almost criminal to release a fairly caught prey animal back into the wild.

Barry shook his head. “We’re just doing it for the fun, Ollie, remember? This way, there’s no obligation. We don’t have to be upset if we don’t catch anything.”

Oliver watched in uncertainty as the bass disappeared under the surface of the lake, into the depths beyond where they could see from the shore. “Right. No obligation.”

“Trust me,” Barry said, giving Oliver a quick kiss on the cheek before resetting their setup and depositing himself back at the base of their tree.

Oliver joined him, falling back into the sounds and feel of nature around them a little more easily this time. He could get used to being away from civilization of his own accord, especially if Barry was with him.

Barry’s hand slipped into Oliver’s and he leaned his head against his shoulder. “Thanks for bringing me out here, Ollie.”

Oliver’s response stuck in his throat. He wanted to explain that it was nothing - there was nothing special about his decision to do something nice for the one he loved. But that would be a lie: he’d truly hoped Barry would enjoy their weekend away. And now, sitting there under the shade of a tree in the summer warmth, the breeze coming off the lake and the sound of the woods surrounding them, he knew he’d needed this, as well. He almost dreaded returning to Star City. To normal life. He wanted this feeling of peace to continue forever, there, with Barry. So some long-winded excuse wasn’t going to cut it, this time.

Instead, he kissed the top of Barry’s head and said, “You’re welcome.”


End file.
